A number of trocar access sheaths are presently available for puncturing the abdominal wall and inserting the sheath into an insufflated body cavity such as the peritoneal cavity. After insertion into the insufflated cavity, the trocar is removed from the passageway of the access sheath and an insufflation line connected to a side port extending laterally from a hub attached to the proximal end of the sheath. An endoscope is commonly inserted through the sheath to provide viewing of the insufflated peritoneal cavity. Additional access sheaths are placed through the abdominal wall to provide further access for other endoscopic surgical instruments. During the surgical procedure, the penetration and position of the endoscope is typically adjusted within the cavity to provide different viewing angles. Various endoscopic surgical instruments are inserted through other access sheaths to manipulate the organs and tissue within the cavity. During the surgical procedure, these endoscopic surgical instruments are often inserted and removed many times from the peritoneal cavity through the access sheaths. During insertion and removal, the access sheaths are inadvertently forced further into the cavity or pulled through the puncture site. A problem with inadvertent removal is the subsequent reinsertion of the sheath into the body cavity through the puncture site. In addition, insufflating gas commonly escapes through the puncture site. Should a large amount of the insufflating gas escape, the reinsertion of the access sheath with a trocar presents the risk of perforating an organ such as a bowel which contaminates the surgical field along with requiring suturing of the perforated tissue.
Suprapubic bladder catheters and gastrostomy feeding tubes in a related field typically utilize a balloon retention cuff about the proximal end thereof to prevent the tube from being inadvertently removed through the abdominal wall. However, the incorporation of a balloon cuff about the distal end of a trocar access sheath presents additional material which must be inserted through the puncture site. Furthermore, additional space consuming lumens must be incorporated into the access sheath to provide inflation and maintenance of the balloon cuff in an expanded state. These inflation lumens or lines add further bulk to the diameter of the access sheath which is clearly undesirable.